Child&#39;s sanitary bed-swing



E. M. STEPKE.

CHILD'S SANITARY BED SWING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31, 1919.

1,376,476. Patented May 3, 1921. Z6 i Z g I 12 g E} 12- I-zz awmwtoz Mme/41d PATENT OFFICE.

ERNA M. STEIKE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CHILDS SANITARY BED-SWING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed December 31, 1919. Serial No. 348,621.

To all whom it may concern: 7

e it known that I ERNA M. STEPKE. a citizen of the United states of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented ce rtain new and useful Improvements in Childrens Sanitary Bed-Swings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to childrens hammocks, swings or suspended beds and its objeot is to provide a simple construction which may be collapsed and folded into a small bundle and will be light, sanitary and cheap to manufacture. A further object of the invention is to construct a device of this character that the child occupying the same will rest upon or be supported by a fabric body independently of the frame of the device so that the child cannot be caused discomfiture by resting upon an unyielding or rigid frame but will rest upon the fabric alone which is carried by the frame in such a manner as to preclude possibility of the child being caused discomfiture by being supported directly by the frame.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and novel frame construction which is very light, durable and may be easily taken apart for the purpose of collapsing it into a small space to facilitate carrying the device about.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct the fabric body that it may be folded into a compact bundle and so that the frame for holding the body extended may be quickly and easily detached therefrom and the fabric body cleansed to make it sanitary. It is also an object of the invention to provide certain new and useful features in the construction and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described.

With the above and other ends in view, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended "claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which v Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device illustrative of the invention showing the same in conditionfor use;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a rectangular frame;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of a corner member of the frame; I

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of a slip joint of a side member of the frame, and

Fig. 6 is a small diagrammatic view of a fabric body illustrating the manner in which the same is adapted to be folded.

As shown in the drawing, 1 indicates a rectangular fabric body as whole, said body comprising a strip of fabric forming the two longitudinal sides 2, 2, and the bottom 3 of the body, and the ends 4 comprising strips or pieces of fabric attachedat 5 to the end edges of the sides 2 along the corners of the body and to the end edges of the bottom 3 along the end corners 6 of the body. The strip forming the sides 2 and bottom 3 is folded upon itself at each end to form hems 7 along the upper side edges 8 of the sides 2, which hems 7 are open at each end, and

. this strip is also folded upon itself to form hems 9 along the bottom side corners of the body, and the fabric stitched together to form the meeting angle or corners 10 of the sides 2 and bottom 3, said hems 9 being: also open at their ends atthe vertical corners 5 of the body. The fabric forming the ends 1 of the body is also folded upon itself to form hems 11 along the upper edges and in a like manner folded upon itself to form hems 12 along th lower edges of the ends, the fabric being stitched along the meeting angle of the ends and bottom, or corners 6 to hold said ends to the bottom-and to also hold the folded portions of the fabric form-. ing the hems 12.

Straps, by means of which the body may be suspended, are formed of fabric or other suitable material and comprise angle pieces 13 which are stitched at 1 1 to the inner side of the hems 11 adjacent each corner 5 of the body and converge upwardly and are secured together at 15 and to the ends of a, strip 16 which is provided intermediate its ends with a loop 17 engaging and holding a ring 18 by means of which the entire device may besuspended.

To hold the body 1 extended, topand bottom frames indicated as a whole at 19, are provided to engage the hems 7 and 11 extending along the upper edges of the body and the hems 9 and 12 extending along the lower angles of the body. These frames 19, which in assembled condition are each sub stantially rectangular in plan view and of greaterlength and width than the length and width of the fabric body, comprises side members 20 and 21 which are Preferably thin metal tubes with their adjacent ends formed to telescope one within the other and provided with annular grooves or depressions 22 as illustrated in Fig. 5, adapted to interlock when the ends of the tubes are lar grooves on the ends of the tubular corner members 26, as shown in Fig. 4, the ends of said corner members 26 being split longitudinally as at 27, if found desirable, to permit these ends to yield when forced into the ends of the side and end members of the frame. Each frame 19 is therefore made up of a series of light tubular sections which may be quickly and easily disconnected one from the other, and the whole frame made into a compact bundle which may b folded inside of the'fabric body when said body is folded, as hereinafter described.

' Obviously, these frames may be constructed of other material than tubing and the jointed connections of the several sections may be made in any suitable manner. Also the corner members of the. frame may be made of tubing, as, shown, or may be constructed in any other suitable manner to connect the side and end members and permit them to be detachably connected together or folded one upon the other.

The construction of the fabric body is such that it may be quickly and neatly folded into a very small, compact bundle,

such manner of folding being illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the ends 4 are folded inwardly upon the bottom 8, the attached end portions of the sides 2 being folded inwardly upon said sides which are first folded outwardly from the sides of the bottom. After the ends are so folded inwardly, the sides 2 in their partially folded condition are then folded over upon the'inturned ends, as indicated by the dotted lines 28, the sides 2 and ends 4 thus being caused to lie fiat upon the bottom 3-in superposed relation and within the area of said bottom, with the attached suspending strap covered by the folded over side portions. The folding of the bodyis guided by the connecting seams of the corners of the body so that said body may be quickly, neatly and compactly folded age that may be easily carried about and the device unfolded and extended for use wherever needed. 7

The body being formed entirely of a washable fabric and the frames being removable therefrom, a very sanitary device is provided and as the frames are of greater length and width than the length and width of the fabric body and are contained within the hems, a child resting upon the bottom of the body is supported entirely by-the fabric and there is no possibility of the child coming in contact with or resting upon the frame.

The outside dimensions of the body are defined by the side and end bottom seams 10 and 6 and when in operative position the body is held extended by the frames and supported within the vertical planes of the sides and ends of the frames by means of the hems connected to the lower angles of the body and to the upper edges of the walls thereof which hems extend outwardly from the body. The child is supported within a rectangular body, the side walls and bottom of which are formed of a single thickness of fabric which provides a smooth yielding bed for the child and within which it may be placed without danger of it falling out and which device may be hung in any place desired. 5 7

Because of its construction the device is particularly adapted as a bed for small babiesywhich may be used by mothers in automobiles to be taken with them when going upon picnics or other'excursions, the device being easy to carry and readilysuspended from the automobile top or from the limbs of a tree. f

This device is also particularly adapted for use in infants hospitals where individual beds are required and where sanitary condit1ons are most essential. By reason of its construction the device may be very quickly taken apart and the fabric washed whenever necessary.

Obviously, any suitable fabric may be used for the body of the device and changes may be made in the construction within the scope of the appended claims without detion, hems connected to the body along the meeting angles of the sides and bottom, and the open frame comprising a pair of side members and a pair of end members connecting the ends of the Side members, said side members being engaged within said hems and lying outside the planes of the surfaces of said sides of the body.

2. A device of the character described comprising a rectangular fabric body, a rectangular top frame for the upper edge of the body, an open rectangular bottom frame of greater length and width than the length and width of the body, and means engaging the frame and connecting the same to the body along the meeting angles between the sides and ends of the body and the bottom thereof, whereby said bottom is held extended by said bottom frame and supported therein out of contact therewith.

3. A device of the character described comprising a rectangular fabric body havings hems along the upper edge of the body, and hems connected to the body along the meeting angles of the sides and bottom of the body, means secured to the upper portion of the body to hold the same in suspended position, an open rectangular frame engaged in the hems on the upper edge of the body, and an open rectangular bottom frame engaged in the lower hems, said bottom frame being of greater length and width than the length and width of said bottom to support the bottom within the frame out of contact therewith.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a rectangular fabric body, outstanding hems extending along the upper edge of the body, outstanding hems connected to the body at the meeting angles of the sides and bottom and the ends and bottom, and open rectangular frames detachably engaged with said hems, said frames being of greater length and width than the length and width of the body to suspend the body therein out of contact therewith.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rectangular fabric body formed with outstanding hems along the upper and lower angles of the body, said hems being open at their ends at the corners of the body and separate open rectangular frames of greater length and width than the length and width of the body and engaged in said hems to suspend the body within the frame out of contact therewith, said frames being formed in detachable sections for removal through the open ends of the hems.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNA M. STEPKE.

Witnesses ANNA C. RAVI'LER, G. E. MoGRANN. 

